The Roman practice of crucifixion was the ultimate act of corporal punishment the world had ever seen. It was a ghastly practice designed to inflict pain and suffering on those who had been found deserving of such punishment; it was also designed to be a deterrent for those contemplating similar crimes. For Christians, we understand the necessity of the cross, the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the importance of his death and resurrection. What often gets lost is the understanding of the psychology of the cross. When we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our savior, not only are we saved, but the apostle Paul wrote that as Christians: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin Romans (6:6).
What emerges is a new creature – free from the constraints of the past life. In the words of the humanist philosophers, a born-again Christian is a blank slate eagerly waiting to be programmed. Oh, what if we would only put that into practice and become more Christ-centered instead of simply making Christ and our faith into an appendage of what already existed within us! The psychology of the cross – making our faith the center of our existence – would not only unleash the power of God in our daily lives, but would transform us into beacons of his love to those around us. For starters, we would become unafraid to witness to others, realizing that death itself does not change our relationship with God. The apostle Paul reminded Christians living in his day For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s (Romans 14:8) and We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord (II Corinthians 5:8).
If we were to accept the philosophy of the cross we would also be willing to place the needs of other believers over our own. The apostle John wrote: Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? (I John 3:16-17). If we are living the self-less mindset that the gospel of Christ calls us to, we should be focused outwardly on others rather than focusing on self. The needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus become more important and maybe more urgent than our selfish and fleshly wants.
It is not enough to claim to be a Christian, to claim to live a Christ-centered life. This is something that even the apostle John warned the early Christians about when he wrote My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth (I John 3:18). Jesus even taught And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me (Luke 9:23) And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me (Matthew 10:38). Christ paid a high price at the cross; we, too, must pay a price at the cross. We must set aside our flesh, our lusts, and whatever else it is that holds us back from committing totally to Christ. Each of us has a cross that is tailored; however, there are similarities that each cross has: placing the lordship of Jesus Christ above all, placing others before ourselves, and the continued struggle of the flesh against the Holy Spirit that dwells within us.
